TRENDING:

A 40th birthday to remember

However, the compromise tax cut extension package
announced earlier this week should have served as the true signal of what was
to unfold. The tax cuts envisioned by President Obama and the Republican
leadership will result in Bush-era tax benefits for CEOs of major polluting
corporations and a $30 billion extension of the Section 40 corn ethanol tax
credit. Remarkably the tax benefits for polluters came at the expense of clean
energy tax incentives like the extension of Section 1603 Convertible Renewable
Tax Incentives of the Recovery Act.This tradeoff has devastating implications for the environment, emerging
clean energy industries, job creation and America’s competitiveness in the
global market. It’s estimated if Congress were to extend Section 1603 for two
years, 65,000 jobs will be created in the solar industry alone.

Those benefiting from the tax cut extension likely include
Massey Energy’s outgoing top executive Don Blankenship (considered by some the
Darth Vader of coal). According to the Associated Press, Mr. Blankenship earned
$17.9 million in 2009 and his retirement package totals $12 million. Back in
April Massey’s failure to protect their workers resulted in 29 miners losing
their lives. As tax day and the one-year anniversary of that event approaches,
Mr. Blankenship will likely be enjoying his continued tax break.

Yesterday the EPA publicly requested for a 15-month
extension of a court deadline on an air rule that would require a small
universe of major polluters to clean up their smokestacks. This rule, the “Boiler
Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule,” has been litigated for more
than a decade. EPA’s own assessment has shown that this air rule is estimated
to save $14 billion dollars in healthcare expenses and 5,000 lives annually
just by a reduction in small particle pollution that gets lodged in people’s
lungs (this figure doesn’t even include the benefits from capturing mercury,
arsenic and lead). A 15-month delay could result in the loss of 6,250 lives and
at least $17.5 billion dollars in healthcare costs.

Today the EPA announced they want to delay a smog rule for
the third time that would protect the health of millions until July citing
they’d like to do more consultation with the EPA’s Clean Air Science Advisory
Committee (CASAC). The CASAC, comprised mostly of Bush appointees, has
unequivocally stated that the current standards compromise human health and
recommended more stringent standard. Public health organizations including the
American Lung Association, American Medical Association, American Public Health
Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility support this scientifically-based
standard. EPA was scheduled to finalize those standards back in October and
have now signaled delay to July 29, 2011. In EPA’s own statement about the
rule, better standards would help prevent up to 12,000 premature deaths, 58,000
cases of aggravated asthma and save up to $100 billion dollars in health costs
annually. If averaged over the six month delay, that means up to 6,000
premature deaths, 29,000 aggravated asthma cases and $50 million dollars in
healthcare costs.

So, in “celebration” of such major environmental milestones,
we’ve got the Obama administration waffling on following through on major
planks of the Obama campaign – assistance for the renewable energy sector and
protecting the American public rather than corporate bottom lines. While more
money remains in the pockets of CEOs of major polluting industries, the
underfunded renewable energy sector continues to languish and the lives of
American kids remain at risk from toxic air pollution.